Second title for Les Bleus as Mbappé burnishes his reputation.
France took an early lead and never looked back as they won their second World Cup with a convincing 4-2 victory over underdogs Croatia in Moscow. France led 2-1 at half-time thanks to an own goal from Mario Mandzukic and a penalty scored by Antoine Griezmann, after a VAR review, with Ivan Perisic briefly bringing first-time finalists Croatia level.
Midway through the second half quickfire strikes by Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappé put France firmly in control but Mandzukic was gifted a goal by Hugo Lloris, the France goalkeeper, to set up a frantic last 20 minutes. France, however, withstood a spirited Croatia assault to lift the trophy France's burgeoning young star, the 19-year-old striker Mbappé, added to the accolades he has accumulated over the month-long contest with his fourth goal of the tournament. It made him only the second teenager to score in the final - the other being the Brazil legend Pelé, who was 17 when he achieved the feat in 1958. France, who won their previous World Cup in 1998, were one of the few favourites to survive an upset-prone tournament in Russia, which saw powerhouses such as Spain, Brazil and Germany fall well before the concluding rounds.
Although the event largely avoided the geopolitical squabbling that dogged the Kremlin in the run-up to the event, the final was not without controversy. News agencies reported that Pussy Riot, the punk ban that gained international attention for its performances critical of Russian president Vladimir Putin, claimed credit for the four pitch invaders who disrupted the second half of the contest. They were quickly tackled by security. Harry Kane, the England striker, won the Golden Boot award for being the tournament's highest goalscorer. Kane scored six goals.
Source : ft
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